51 Weird + Fun Things to Do in Birmingham | USA

Posted on June 21, 2017

Ok, Birmingham. I see you slipping in under the radar.

Like the cool little brother that gets up to all kinds of trouble, Birmingham is also the city that never gets caught. It is Portland before it was Portland. It is quirky, but never tacky – well, sometimes tacky – but anyway, there is no shortage of weird and fun things to do in Birmingham. The city has done novelty exceptionally well.

Alabama wasn’t exactly the first state I hoped to see after a long trip through South America. I made lazy generalizations about Alabama before visiting, throwing it in with the rest of The American South. More importantly, where was I supposed to get my California tacos and West Coast IPAs?

As it turns out, the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement is layered with history. Birmingham is beautiful in a way that only traditional Southern cities are. It is a hotbed of creativity and there are artisan galleries, maker fairs, and Airbnb’s showing some real Southern hospitality to prove it. There’s way more to eat than BBQ (though you should probably eat that too) and the craft beers and taco spots really are quite good. Give it a little time, and you’ll find Birmingham is anything but a conventional Southern city.

51 weird+ fun things to do in Birmingham

Very Birmingham Experiences

1. See a summer show at Sloss Furnace
2. Take a jog for epic city views from Vulcan Street
3. Rent a Zyp Bike and spend the day exploring the city by bicycle

4. Hit the hiking trails of Red Mountain Park
5. Have a nighttime photoshoot under the LED lights of the 1931 tunnel
6. Rent a tube and float down the Cahaba River
7. Head over to the Alabama Theater for the Summer Film Series
8. Plan a summer picnic at Railroad Park or along the Rotary Trail
9. Move your rambling stories off the front porch and onto the stage with Arc Stories
10. Bring out the guns and go skeet shooting at Selwood Farm
11. Scout out the best in secondhand clothing at Sozo Trading Company

12. Browse the screen printed art at Yellowhammer Creative
13. Play all day with interactive exhibits at the McWane Science Center
14. Bait your hook and head out for an afternoon fishing trip
15. Pay a visit to the Civil Rights Institute to learn more about the early stages of civil rights

Eating Birmingham

16. Get your fingers dirty with a Southern BBQ feast at Dreamland or Saw’s Soul Kitchen

17. Get dumped and makeup over the Breakup Cookies at Church Street
18. Beat the heat with a popsicle even adults can get into at Steel City Pops
19. Explore the up-and-coming culinary scene at Birmingham Restaurant Week
20. Dine on some killer pizza in a restored post office at Post Office Pies

21. Nosh on the famed tomato salad at Hot and Hot Fish Club
22. Go for a beer and a burger at Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger

Drinking Birmingham

23. Get your buzz on at the very tasty Revelator Coffee
24. Sip a range of sours at the Avondale Sour Room
25. Enjoy the creamy and very alcoholic Bushwacker from Lou’s Pub
26. Refine your tastebuds at the Redmont Vodka Distillery
27. Slurp up a Good People Coffee Oatmeal Stout Beer Float at Birmingham’s ballpark

28. Check out the bizarre antique collection at Garage Café
29. Bar hop all the Avondale owned properties scattered around town
30. Wander the extensive beer collection at Hop City Liquor Store

31. Head to Trim Tab Brewing for their Trivia or Paints + Pints events
32. Put on a costume and have some fun at Atomic Vintage Bar
33.Get tipsy on one of the many funky flavors at Birmingham Daiquiri

Events + Festivals in Birmingham

34. Go to the annual S’mores & Pours event at Avondale (June)
35. Experience all the best brews at the Magic City Brewfest (July)
36. Venue hop at the Secret Stages Music Festival (August)
37. Check out the Queens in the Mr. & Mrs. Apollo Pagent hosted at Mystic Krewe of Apollo (August)

Keeping Birmingham Weird

38. Head to Sloss Furnace for a Halloween haunted house
39. Suit up for a slip-n-slide block party of epic proportions at Slide the City
40. Head over to Satellite Cafe for Sonic the Hedgehog and other old school classics

41. Get locked in at Locked In: The Birmingham Escape Game
42. Learn about the eerie city history on the Birmingham Ghost Walk
43. Play a few rounds of shuffleboard at the 41st Street Pub & Aircraft Sales

Birmingham + Beyond

46. Get welcomed in by the Southern hospitality of Montgomery
47. Rent a lodge at Gorham’s Bluff and stay the night
48. Travel around the state in search of the best beer in Alabama

Just Because

49. Add some weight to the Heaviest Corner on Earth (20th Street + 1st Avenue)
50. Head to Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences for wooden anatomical models and an iron lung
51. Check out the tall and tacky Stan the Muffler Man